Global Leader Scholarship

1. Students must be accepted to participate in a Mercer Abroad study abroad program (this does NOT include Mercer On Mission). Mercer Abroad programs include:
   1. Affiliate Programs
   2. Exchange Programs
   3. Faculty-Led Programs
2. While it is not required to receive the Pell Grant to apply for the GLS, students who receive the Pell Grant MUST ALSO be actively applying for or previously been awarded the Gilman Scholarship, a national study abroad scholarship for Pell recipients. Please check your financial aid award letter in your MyMercer portal to determine if you are a Pell recipient. If you are a recipient, please make an appointment with Emily Dunn, dunn_ea@mercer.edu, to go over the Gilman application and next steps. If you do not receive Pell, you may apply for the GLS like normal.
3. Students must submit a completed GLS application through the Mercer website.
4. Must be a current Mercer student, grad or undergrad.
5. GLS will be awarded through the Financial Planning Office based on the student’s cost of attendance as determined using the study abroad program budget provided by the Mercer Abroad office.

Applications open in September for spring awards. The deadline for the application is October 9th and will be published with the announcement of the opening of the application each fall. Students will be notified in late October/early November.

Applications open in February for fall and summer awards. The deadline for the application is early March and will be published with the announcement of the opening of the application each spring. Summer students will be notified by the end of March. Fall students will be notified in mid-April.

Student award amounts aid cannot exceed the student’s established cost of attendance. Before selection begins, the Mercer Abroad office will send a spreadsheet of all eligible applicants to financial aid for need assessment. Caps on awards are associate with program length and follow the schedule below:

• Up to $8000 for programs eight weeks or more
• Up to $5000 for programs three to eight weeks long
• Up to $3000 for programs shorter than three weeks

Students are required to answer three essay questions and submit one recommendation which must be a faculty member. Students whose applications are incomplete will not be submitted to Financial Aid for determination of need. Students’ applications will be weighted according to the following criteria:

• Students with less experience abroad have priority over students with more experience abroad.
• Students who demonstrate appropriate expectations, willingness to give back, and commitment to personal growth and/or interest in engaging in local community abroad have priority over students who demonstrate less reflection on the value of study abroad and the value of this scholarship.
• Upperclassmen have priority over underclassmen.
• Students with majors that require study abroad will have priority over students with majors with no global education requirements.
• Students with stronger faculty recommendations have priority over students with weaker recommendations.
• Students with higher financial need based on estimated family contribution will be prioritized.

1. Financial Aid will award the funds directly to the students through their MyMercer bill.
2. Funds will not be awarded until after the drop/add day of the Mercer term of their study abroad program.
3. Students who withdraw from the study abroad program will no longer be eligible for the GLS funds.
4. Should students receive the award and then withdraw from the program, the student may be responsible for reimbursing the funds to Mercer University.

Students who receive the GLS agree to either serve as a study abroad ambassador upon completion of the study abroad program or contribute to the promotion of study abroad in another way.